Jamie Heckerman has a passion for inclusion and the community. She got a degree in Parks and Recreation Management with an emphasis in therapeutic recreation. When she started working with Special Olympics Arizona in 2010, she found her life calling.

Today, as president and CEO of the organization, she heads efforts to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This gives them opportunities to not only develop physical fitness skills, but to demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

The first Special Olympics Arizona (SOAZ) competition in 1975 consisted of a one-day track & field event with 100 athletes and 20 volunteers. Today, that has grown to 21 sports, 675 regional competitions, and four statewide competitions for 21,461 athletes and a remarkable 24,743 day-of volunteers annually.

Click here to learn more about Special Olympics Arizona: https://specialolympicsarizona.org/

Original air date: March 21, 2024.

Jamie Heckerman has a passion for inclusion and the community. She got a degree in Parks and Recreation Management with an emphasis in therapeutic recreation. When she started working with Special Olympics Arizona in 2010, she found her life calling.
Today, as president and CEO of the organization, she heads efforts to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This gives them opportunities to not only develop physical fitness skills, but to demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.
The first Special Olympics Arizona (SOAZ) competition in 1975 consisted of a one-day track &amp; field event with 100 athletes and 20 volunteers. Today, that has grown to 21 sports, 675 regional competitions, and four statewide competitions for 21,461 athletes and a remarkable 24,743 day-of volunteers annually.
Click here to learn more about Special Olympics Arizona: <a href="https://specialolympicsarizona.org/">https://specialolympicsarizona.org/</a>
Original air date: March 21, 2024.

The Rescuers radio show provides an opportunity to spotlight people who are working behind the scenes to make this world a better place. These people serve as inspiration and idea starters to encourage others to find creative ways to impact their community, their city, and the world.

Host Art Brooks has spent his career in broadcasting, both as on-air talent and in representing the industry as president and CEO of the Arizona Broadcasters Association for nearly 30 years. He was the driving force behind an Emmy-winning series of documentaries on drug abuse that combined a phone bank of 100 seasoned counselors and history-making "roadblock," as every TV station in Arizona and many radio stations broadcast the groundbreaking show on the same day at the same time. He also was instrumental in starting AZ AMBER Alert (one of two states in the nation where broadcasters initiated the program), helped form the Native American Broadcast Institute at Northern Arizona University and consulted with broadcasters in Bulgaria to help build commercial radio as the country was coming out of communism.

Rescuers airs 5:30-6 p.m. AZ time Thursdays on KPXQ-AM Faith Talk 1360, beginning May 7, 2020. Based in Phoenix, it is available internationally online. We invite you to submit names of heroes you think would be good subjects for the show - just message us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rescuersradioshow/

The Rescuers radio show provides an opportunity to spotlight people who are working behind the scenes to make this world a better place. These people serve as inspiration and idea starters to encourage others to find creative ways to impact their community, their city, and the world. Host Art Brooks has spent his career in broadcasting, both as on-air talent and in representing the industry as president and CEO of the Arizona Broadcasters Association for nearly 30 years. He was the driving force behind an Emmy-winning series of documentaries on drug abuse that combined a phone bank of 100 seasoned counselors and history-making "roadblock," as every TV station in Arizona and many radio stations broadcast the groundbreaking show on the same day at the same time. He also was instrumental in starting AZ AMBER Alert (one of two states in the nation where broadcasters initiated the program), helped form the Native American Broadcast Institute at Northern Arizona University and consulted with broadcasters in Bulgaria to help build commercial radio as the country was coming out of communism. Rescuers airs 5:30-6 p.m. AZ time Thursdays on KPXQ-AM Faith Talk 1360, beginning May 7, 2020. Based in Phoenix, it is available internationally online. We invite you to submit names of heroes you think would be good subjects for the show - just message us on Facebook at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rescuersradioshow/">https://www.facebook.com/rescuersradioshow/</a>

Rescuers radio show

Great feel good program with insightful guests highlighting our unsung heroes helping in our communities.

Great feel good program with insightful guests highlighting our unsung heroes helping in our communities.

Advertisement